


Through the Door

by thatsoccercoach



Series: Which Door? [2]
Category: Outlander & Related Fandoms, Outlander Series - Diana Gabaldon
Genre: Fluff
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2018-03-03
Updated: 2018-03-03
Packaged: 2019-03-26 08:42:08
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,078
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/13854132
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/thatsoccercoach/pseuds/thatsoccercoach
Summary: Claire accidentally goes to Jamie's house...and stays.





	Through the Door

                                                                  

_Previously…_

The door opened and blue eyes peered at her.

“Sassenach?”

_Oh. So, not Frank’s place then._

* * *

 

“Oh, I ah…” Claire mumbled, completely flustered by the transpiring situation.

“Did Jenny invite ye then?” he went on appearing to be completely unsurprised by the random appearance of someone he hadn’t seen in close to ten years.

“No, I just…” she pointed aimlessly, and ineffectively since her hands were full, in an effort to indicate where she’d intended to end up and again failed to string together a coherent sentence. This was not going according to plan. Not at all.

“Step inside and let me take yer bags, aye? Then I’ll get Jenny for ye.” He reached out and tugged gently on her elbow to bring her in then took the bags from her arms leaving her empty-handed and thoroughly confused. She was supposed to be at a party hosted by Frank Randall who _maybe_ lived next door, not here with _Jamie Fraser_ for who-knew-what event!

 _Wait, Jenny was here too?_ Well, this day was certainly going in a different direction. She’d known both Jenny and Jamie in from when they’d attended boarding school in France. Claire had been concerned that it would be difficult to find a university that would accept the unconventional education that she’d had throughout her upbringing. Uncle Lamb had found the perfect little school through friends and Claire had known immediately that it fit the bill as far as her needs went. Jenny and Jamie had attended because it was where their father, Brian, had attended school with his cousin Jared who was still located in the area.

Jenny had been in her year, though she had a different group of friends and generally took different classes. She’d always been kind but they hadn’t kept in touch. Actually, Claire really hadn’t kept in touch with anyone. Jamie had been younger, barely in high school when she and Jenny were in their senior year so she’d hardly interacted with him at all. She thought she remembered him being on the rugby team but wasn’t quite certain.

“Och, Claire, canna say that I expected to see you here.” Jenny bustled, as much as one tiny woman who was massively pregnant could, and took Claire’s coat, hanging it on the coat tree in the entryway.

Finally finding her voice, she attempted to explain her predicament to Jenny. “Actually, I didn’t expect to be here at all. See, I was going to a friend’s party and couldn’t find his house number. I thought this was the place so I knocked,” she rambled on, following Jenny farther into the cozy home.

Jenny, business-minded as always, didn’t seem the least bit concerned that Claire hadn’t ended up where she’d planned. “Yer here now.” She quirked an eyebrow. “May as well enjoy it, aye?”

* * *

She had enjoyed it.

They’d been watching rugby, Ireland vs Scotland, and she’d immediately been swept up in the competitive spirit that filled the room. Claire had been a wanderer nearly all her life so she had no ties to either team really. She deemed it prudent to cheer for the same team as the Fraser siblings though since they seemed to support Scotland with unusual intensity.

She caught up with Jenny and Ian. Yes, Ian who’d been in their class at school. Ian whom every girl had loved for his chivalrous attributes but who’d only, ever had eyes for Jenny. He told her the story of their romance and how they’d married almost immediately following graduation.

She’d snuggled wee Jamie, Ian and Jenny’s little boy, Jamie’s nephew, who’d immediately taken a shine to her. An unexpected rush of tenderness filled her as she held the tiny boy close and smelled the lingering baby scent of his hair.

She’d gotten to know Jamie, now a firefighter with a passion for service to others. He hadn’t been like this in school, she was sure. He was confident but not cocky, strong and yet gentle, impulsive and still prepared.

And she hadn’t left. It felt like home. _He_ felt like home.

They talked about what they’d done in the years after school.

Claire had gone to nursing school just as she had planned. Knowing from an early age that she needed to use her hands and that she was hardwired with an innate desire to heal and protect, she thrived in her tasks as a nurse. She worked for a short time in Boston then returned to France near Compiègne, eventually ending up in Scotland and, for the first time in her life, made a home for herself.

He told of how he’d gone to work for a family-owned landscaping business that tended to many old estates. He’d begun that job knowing that the physical aspect of the work would be a positive influence in his life and it had also appealed to him to work on sites that had a legacy. Keeping that heritage alive was something that touched him to the core of his being. He still desired to do more service-oriented work though and had become a firefighter. For the past five years he’d done that diligently and loved his job with a fierceness that Claire found very attractive.

She began to talk about her hopes for the future. How she saw herself returning to school and maybe, just possibly, becoming a surgeon. Nearly in opposition to that dream, or so she though, was that maybe she’d be able to be convinced, should the right man come along, to marry and raise a family. She was already on the path to the former and the latter seemed unlikely for many reasons, but she felt secure in sharing her dreams.

As it got later, Jamie shared in hushed tones how he hoped to someday become fire chief. How he wanted to lead and protect “his men” as they worked for the safety and well-being of those in the community. He mentioned that, should the right lass come along, he might be tempted to marry and begin a family but he didn’t see that happening any time soon.

The fire in the hearth burned low and replays of the rugby match continued on the muted television. They talked late into the night, voices hushed for no other reason than that it seemed they could better hear the other’s thoughts if there was less noise.

That was the first night Claire fell asleep in Jamie’s arms.

It wasn’t the last.


End file.
